Imagine struggling to express your thoughts verbally. You have the words inside your head, but communicating those ideas through speech is difficult, maybe even impossible. That's a task some individuals with autism face, and have to work to overcome.

Jordyn Zimmerman is an example of that struggle, but a shining success in conquering the challenge. The Mentor High graduate began communicating through an app on her iPad in 2014. Now, she's a student at Ohio University and is being honored with a personal achievement award this week at the 2018 Milestones National Autism Conference.